Execution of Woman for Drug Offenses in Kerman Prison

On November 15, 2023, a female inmate convicted of drug-related crimes was executed at Kerman Prison.

The executed inmate is identified as Zarkhatoon Mazar-Zahi, approximately 46 years old, from Saravan, married, and a mother of one child. Mazar-Zahi was apprehended six years ago at a police checkpoint in Kerman Province on suspicion of drug smuggling while en route to Shiraz.
On March 15, 2022, the Kerman Revolutionary Court handed down a death sentence, a verdict subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court. As of the current writing, no official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have reported on this execution.

According to data compiled by the Center of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 10, 2022, and October 8, 2023, a total of 659 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, representing a 24% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Seven of these executions were conducted publicly. Concerningly, many of the defendants were denied access to a fair trial and due process. For details and statistics, read HRANA’s report.

Writer Mehrzad Mousavi Arrested

Writer and historian, Mehrzad Mousavi, was apprehended by security forces in Shiraz and subsequently moved to an undisclosed location.

As of now, the grounds for Mousavi’s arrest, his current whereabouts, and the nature of the charges against him remain shrouded in uncertainty.

Mousavi has made contributions to the realm of literature and historical research, with notable works to his name such as “An Inquiry into Achaemenid Art Antecedents” and “Iran in Two Invasions.”

Execution of Four Inmates in Shiraz and Isfahan

Four inmates convicted of drug offenses and murder were executed in Shiraz and Isfahan.

On October 23, Iran Human Rights Organization reported the execution of three individuals at Adelabad prison in Shiraz. The victims were identified as Asghar Jafari (approximately 40 years old), Majid Mosaie (38 years old), and Ali Kheirbin (42 years old). Jafari had received the death penalty for drug-related offenses three years prior, while Mosaie and Kheirbin faced similar charges in the same legal case two years ago.

In a separate incident, an unnamed woman convicted of murder was executed at Dastgerd Prison on October 21. It was reported that she had been transferred from Dolatabad prison to Dastgerd for the execution process.

According to data compiled by the Center of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 10, 2022, and October 8, 2023, a total of 659 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, representing a 24% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Seven of these executions were conducted publicly. Concerningly, many of the defendants were denied access to a fair trial and due process. For details and statistics, read HRANA’s report.

Leila Hosseinzadeh Faces New Legal Case

Former political prisoner Leila Hosseinzadeh is confronted with a new legal case brought forth by the prosecutor’s offices of Evin Courthouse.

Hosseinzadeh stands accused of “assembly and collusion against national security.”

On August 20, 2022, security forces arrested Hosseinzadeh in front of her residence in Tehran and subsequently detained her in Ward 209 of Evin Prison. During the arrest, she was beaten by the agents. She was later relocated to a detention facility in Shiraz, known as House No. 100, and subsequently to Adelabad Prison.

On January 4, 2023, Hosseinzadeh was once again transferred to Evin Prison. After five days, she was granted release on bail.

Leila Hosseinzadeh, a student activist from the University of Tehran, has a documented history of previous arrests and convictions tied to her activism.

Four Baha’i Women Detained in Shiraz

On September 26, 2023, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence apprehended four Baha’i individuals Sahar Moheb Pour (24), Roxana Vojdani (25), Setareh Ta’ami (57), and Bahareh Ghaderi (45), in Shiraz transferring them to an undisclosed facility.

A source intimately connected with one of the detainees’ families informed HRANA that Moheb Pour and Vojdani were taken into custody at their workplace, while Ta’ami and Ghaderi were apprehended at their Shiraz residences. During these arrests, authorities conducted thorough searches of their homes, confiscating various personal belongings.

Presently, the reasons behind their detentions, their current whereabouts, and the specific allegations against these Baha’i women remain shrouded in uncertainty.

It is worth noting that Bahareh Ghaderi had previously faced arrest and imprisonment due to her activist pursuits.

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Execution of Three Inmates in Shiraz

On September 17, 2023, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz carried out the execution of two inmates, who had been convicted in the same legal case, both on charges related to drug offenses.

The individuals executed have been identified by the Iran Human Rights Organization as Ramezan Yavari and Mozaffar Sanjarani. Their convictions date back to approximately three years ago.

Furthermore, Adelabad Prison had witnessed another execution on September 13, involving an inmate who was sentenced for a murder-related offense. The identity of this inmate remains undisclosed at this time.

It is noteworthy that as of now, there have been no reports or coverage of these executions from official sources or domestic media outlets within the country.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran recorded 457 reports concerning the death penalty. Approximately 43% of these executions were linked to drug-related charges.

 

 

Seven Executions Carry out Across Various Prisons in Iran

In recent days, seven inmates, including a woman, met their fate through executions carried out in Tabriz, Shiraz, Qom, Birjand, and Zahedan Prisons.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, on Tuesday, September 5, Ali Abbas Najari (Najjari), aged 37, was executed in Shiraz’s Adelabad Prison. He had been convicted of murder three years ago.

The Rokna News Agency also reported the execution of an inmate, identified only by his first name, Saeed, aged 34, in Tabriz Prison. He was found guilty of taking a life during a group altercation four years ago.

On Friday, September 8, a female inmate, who had been convicted of murder, was executed in Qom Prison, as reported by the Iran Human Rights Organization.

Furthermore, Haal Vsh reported the execution of Saeed Sanjarani, aged 23, who had been convicted of drug-related crimes in Birjand Prison on September 10. Additionally, three inmates, one of whom was identified as Mohammad Narui (Narooie), aged 27, were executed in Zahedan Prison on September 9. Narui had been convicted of murder three years ago, while the other two were found guilty of murder in a joint case seven years ago.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.

 

Execution of Four Inmates for Drug-Related Charges Takes Place in Hamedan and Shiraz

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, two inmates, identified as Hossein Nasirian, 40, and Hassan Ali Shakib were executed in Adelabad Prison, Shiraz, as reported by Iran Human Rights Organization.

Nasirian’s conviction dates back three years, while Shakib’s dates back two years.

On the subsequent day, Wednesday, August 9, two more inmates faced execution in Hamedan Prison. Among them, Manuchehr Khazaie, who had been convicted on charges related to drug offenses, met his fate. The second inmate, Ahad Hashemi, whose identity was confirmed by Kurdpa, was also executed.

These executions bring renewed attention to the ongoing discussions surrounding the criminal justice system’s approach to drug-related crimes. In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran recorded 457 reports concerning the death penalty. Approximately 43% of these executions were linked to drug-related charges.

 

Two Defendants in the “Shah-Cheragh” Case Publicly Executed

On July 8, 2023, two individuals involved in the “Shah-Cheragh” legal case, namely Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Seyed Naeem Hashemi Ghetali, were executed publicly on a street in Shiraz, as reported by Mizan, the judiciary’s news agency.

The Shiraz Revolutionary Court, presided by Judge Mahmood Sadati, sentenced them on March 18, 2023. Additionally, three other defendants in this case, namely Mohammad Rahmani, Mostafa Amani, and Hamid Allah Kabuli, were given prison sentences of 25, 15, and five years, respectively.

The charges against all five defendants included “enmity against God (moharebeh),” “spreading corruption,” and “Baghi (armed rebellion),” as indicted on December 8, 2022.

The terrorist attack took place on October 26, 2022, at the Shah Cheragh mosque in Shiraz, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 13 lives. In April 2022, Chief Justice Kazem Mousavi announced that “the main perpetrator was killed during the attack, and two out of the five defendants, in this case, have been sentenced to death and will be executed publicly in the near future.”

Baha’i Citizen Hooshidar Zarei Sentenced to Six Years Imprisonment

The Shiraz Revolutionary Court has sentenced Baha’i citizen Hooshidar Zarei to six years in prison, along with additional penalties, including a two-year travel ban, a fine, and other social restrictions. If the verdict is upheld on appeal, Zarei will serve five years of his sentence under house arrest, monitored by an electronic tag.

Zarei received a one-year sentence for “propaganda against the regime” and five years for “sectarian propaganda in favor of anti-regime groups.” He will serve his sentence at his residence, with the limitation of movement within a one-kilometer radius from his house.

According to a reliable source close to Zarei’s family who spoke to HRANA, he has also been subjected to additional penalties, including social restrictions for five years, a ban on engaging in online social activities, a two-year travel ban, and a fine of 500 million Rial.

Zarei was arrested on April 29, 2023, by security forces in Shiraz and was released after 22 days of detention on a 1.2 billion Tomans bail from Adelabad Prison. Zarei, who is approximately 43 years old, is a Judo Coach and a resident of Shiraz.